12 days of death Note
by xXxXxXmxmXxXxXx
Summary: A Christmas fic, one chapter for each of the 12 days of Christmas. many pairings, some yaoi, some Hetero. It all depends on the Chapter!


_On the first day of Christmas, my god Kira gave to meone black death note. _

Snow was falling slowly, ever so slowly, making lovers and couples huddle together for warmth--among other unmentionable things that would raise the rating. It was a beautiful cornucopia of love and fantasy.

Inside a warm and cozy café, Teru Mikami was being a scrooge, watching the passing children with a glare. It wasn't that he didn't like the snow, or the holidays it represented. In fact, Mikami was extremely fond of the holidays, and had loved the prospects of snow ever since he was a child. But this year, there was something not quite right. He had spent the last few days working on a case, but his heart wasn't into his work, which was highly unusual. He had also spent a lot of time worshipping Kira, which was normal, but his heart wasn't into THAT either. Nothing seemed to be quite right.

He sighed, sipping calmly at his decaf mocha. He just wasn't in the spirit, and with Christmas only a few days away, this came as a shock to him. Normally, with Christmas this close, he was volunteering or running like a chicken with it's head cut off to finish his shopping. He hadn't even STARTED shopping this year, and had thrown all his volunteer forms to the trash. He glanced at the newspaper on the table. He'd read it four times already, and found nothing of amusement--he had done the puzzles inside as well. He gave a disgruntled grunt, standing and pulling his ebony trench coat back over his shoulders as he headed out into the drift.

he had walked about two blocks when he noticed a little girl following him. He wasn't much older than 5, and had waist length auburn tresses in delicate pig tails, which were held together in midnight blue ribbons. Her eyes were a bright mahogany, and she was wrapped up in a white coat, a black scarf, and furry boots that came to her tiny knees. As the lawyer looked down at her, she smiled. He glanced away; it was highly likely that she just HAPPENED to be walking the same direction and that they would part ways soon. In the back of his highly intelligent mind, Teru wondered where the girl's parents were, but chose not to get involved.

2 more blocks passed, and he turned to see her behind him--correction, she was eagerly following him. He watched in mild interest as she ran after him, weaving through the crowds of people, attempting to keep up with his stride. He finally stopped at his apartment complex, allowing the girl to run directly into him, making her squawk a small, "Uah!" She looked up at him as he turned to her, and smiled in that cute little childish way that all 5-year-olds do. "Mister," she said, her voice barely an echo over the wind that had begun. "You look like you need some Christmas Spirit! Can I join you? No one should be alone around Christmas!"

Teru fidgeted uncomfortably. It seemed odd to him to allow a little girl into his apartment, especially one this age. He knelt to her level. "Where are you're parents?"

"Uhm…sir?"

Mikami turned to a small woman with two-toned hair. She seemed a bit concerned. "Can I help you?"

Her brow furrowed with worry. "Are you alright? There's no one here…Do you need help getting home? I think you're hallucinating…"

He blinked at her for a moment, before sighing and shaking his head. "No, I'm fine. I live in this complex. Thank you for your concern."

the young woman smiled. "You're welcome. Be well." She started to walk away before turning slightly and waving. "Merry Christmas!" And then she was gone.

Mikami watched her slightly before looking down at the little girl with genuine curiosity. He then motioned her to follow him, treading a flight of stairs, and into his apartment. He helped the petite youngster with her coat and boots, sticking them in the dryer to…well…dry. "I don't know why," he muttered to himself in the laundry room. "She's obviously a figment of my imagination, since no one can see her. Figments don't get colds…" Feeling a bit stupid for his rambling, he walked back out into the kitchenette to find the little girl crawling on the counter, starting an oven burner to boil water. Mikami felt a bit of terror for her as he half ran over, scooping her off the counter and setting her on the floor. "didn't your parents ever tell you not to play with the stove?" he asked, scolding her.

Big mahogany eyes blinked slowly, staring at Mikami with true interest. "Parents? What's a parents?"

Mikami gave an aggravated, almost disbelieving sigh. "Right," he hissed through gritted teeth. "Figments of my imagination don't HAVE parents. I forgot." he turned back the counter to see that the little girl had also grabbed two mugs, and spoons, and little packages of hot cocoa mix. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at her as she gave him a pleading look; he sighed and adjusted the heat on the kettle of water, causing her to coo happily. He waved her off to sit at the table. He wondered why he was being so nice. If she was a product of his imagination, then if he closed his eyes and wished her away, it would be done, yes? Taking a deep breath, he closed his dark eyes. _She's not real,_ he mentally chanted. _I'll count to ten, and when I turn around, she'll be gone. _He smiled to himself. It was convincing enough. _one. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten._ He opened his eyes and turned; to his great disbelief, the little girl was still sitting in a chair, her itty bitty legs dangling off the side, kicking furiously off the ground. Well, so much for that plan. As the kettle started to whistle, he turned and took it off the heat, pouring the hot water into each of the mugs, mixing it with the cocoa powder and stirring. He walked over with the two mugs, setting on in front of the girl. "Careful," he instructed as the girl's eyes widened excitedly. "It's extremely hot." as she nodded exuberantly, he sat across from her, observing her features. "…If you do not mind me asking…what should I call you?"

she blinked, shoving russet bangs out of her face as she dug in her pocket and pulled out a bag of peppermint sticks. "My name is Justine," she said, dropping two peppermint sticks in her hot cocoa. "My name is based off the word Justice." She smiled, while Mikami seemed a bit confused.

"You have a name…but no parents?"

"No, not yet anyway."

"Oh, so you're an orphan."

The little girl shook her head. "I haven't been born yet." …there was an odd, awkward funk in the air while this tiny girl, Justine, sipped her cocoa and Mikami stared. Nothing this girl said made any sense, and he knew it. "You seemed really lonely," she muttered, setting down her mug. "So I decided to visit, Teru-kun."

Mikami sat back in shock, staring in disbelief at this pint-sized person. She knew his name--that alone was weird enough. But she just told him, as though it were an average occurrence, that he hadn't even been BORN yet, and that she wanted to VISIT. In the back of his mind, Mikami was slapping himself, screaming to wake up from this sick joke of a dream. Besides, wasn't it a little creepy that he was dreaming about a little 5-year-old girl? Yeah, just a little. "…you're not real…" he muttered.

Justine blinked curiously at him, and smiled. "You're too logical. Daddy said that you would say that. But he said you needed a friend at Christmas!" She sipped her cocoa again. "Besides, I have a present for you."

Mikami raised a perfectly arched brow. He wasn't really interested in the gift he was supposed to receive, but more in this little girl and the things that spewed from her mouth. "I know your father? Do I work with him?"

"Not yet," she replied, "but you will soon." She smiled as Mikami deflated. He was so sure she would have let something slip. "But I'm not going to leave until you get in the spirit. Only then will I give you your gift."

"Well, that has become mission impossible," he muttered, standing and walking away from the table. "I'm not in the mood."

Justine huffed loudly, squirming off her chair and following the man into the living room, climbing onto the couch as he sat. "But Teru-kun! Everyone needs to be in the Christmas spirit!" She pouted, her auburn eyes glazing with tears. "Christmas is about being happy, and cherishing what you have. It's not about the gifts or the food…it's about family and friends, and the love they have for each other. But you're all alone, and no one should be alone on Christmas…" She sniffled as two crystalline tears slid down her cute, round cheeks.

Mikami watched her with silent wonder before sighing heavily and wiping her face with the back of his hand. "don't cry," he muttered. "I didn't mean to upset you…" He sighed again as she hiccupped. "I'm not making any promises, but I will try." He let out a yelp as the minute person lunged at his waist, hugging him happily.

"This'll be the best Christmas EVER, Teru-kun. I promise!" Mikami nodded slowly, patting her head uncertainly. Justine released him and sat up, glancing around. "This place needs some decorations, Teru-kun." She locked eyes with him, cocking her head to the side. "Don'tcha have some?" He nodded and got up, moving to the hall closet and pulling down a large box. As he opened it, Justine squealed happily, grabbing a boa of silver, running away with it and wrapping it around the post of his floor-to-ceiling lamp, sealing the design with tape she had found. She then turned and smiled at the lawyer.

A small part of Mikami was irritated. He hadn't wanted to put decorations up for the simple fact of taking them down in a week. But another part of Mikami, also small, felt warmed by this little girl's attempt to put him in the holiday spirit. But overall, he was just generally amused. He hadn't seen someone so adamant, especially so young. She was a firecracker, and knew she would get her way(especially seeing as she was running all over the place, grabbing random décor to place all over the small apartment. She even seemed to find a set of angel mirror clings the Mikami forgot he owned, and placed them on his two windows. After a few minutes of watching the small lass run back and forth between the box of paraphernalia and the walls, Mikami reached in the box and pulled out a few items, setting them on the couch as to set them aside for himself to put up, seeing as she couldn't. After a few minutes, the girl made a small curious noise; Mikami turned to see her holding mistletoe in her hands.

She looked up to him, holding it up. "what's this?"

"Mistletoe."

"What's that?"

"You hang it up, and when two people stand under it, they have to kiss."

Justine nodded slowly, staring at the plant. Then she held it above her head and giggled. "I'm under the mistletoe, Teru-kun! You have to give me a kiss!" The Lawyer blinked rapidly, taken aback. At first he thought she was joking, until he noticed she was staring intently at him. The justice-y part of Mikami's mind was screaming about pedophilia, but the rest of him was simply thinking about and innocent peck on the cheek. After a moment's hesitation he leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek, making her giggle. Much to his surprise, he laughed too. "You should hang the mistletoe up, Teru-kun!" she suggested, handing it to him. "Maybe you'll meet someone nice!"

While he sincerely doubted it, the girl's meaning was thoughtful, he nodded slowly. Taking it from her, he looked at the clock; it was nearly nine, and he looked down at her. "It's getting late, maybe you should get some rest." She nodded, rubbing her eye and yawning cutely. He gave her a large shirt to wear as makeshift pajamas, and set up a bed for her on the couch, complete with sheets, a fleece blanket, and a fluffy pillow. As he was tucking her in, he felt a bit warm hearted.

She smiled at him as he tucked her in. "Thanks, Teru-kun!" SHe leaned up, kissing his head. "I love you! Good night!" She rolled, facing away from him, and closed her eyes.

Mikami was…a little shocked. He petted her hair and went into his bedroom. Maybe…a good night's sleep would clear up everything.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Teru-kun! Hey, hey Teru-kun! TERU-KUN!"

The next morning was a loud one, as Mikami found himself being shaken back to the world of the living by the little girl, who was excited and bouncing on his bed. As his eyes slid open, he barely glanced at her, but that was enough for her.

"Teru-kun! Come on! Come and see! It snowed a lot last night! C'mon, Teru-kun! Come see! Come see!" She bounced off his bed and ran down the hall, her long hair waving behind her like a banner. He watched her leave for a minute, before groaning and attempting to go back to sleep. Just as he was about to drift off again, he heard a battle cry. "Teeeeeeeeeru-kuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun~!" He felt the bed bounced as Justine made a flying leap of faith onto his bed, jolting him back to the world of the living. She huffed loudly. "Get UP!" As she annunciated "up," she pulled the blankets off him, and proceeded to attempt to pull his pillow away. "Get up, Teru!" she whined, having given up on pulling the pillow, which the lawyer had in a pincher-like death grip. "Please….?"

Mikami stared at her for a second, watching as she forced her eyes to grow and water, and her bottom lip stuck out in an almost irresistible pout.

His head fell back onto the pillow as he groaned softly before leaning up and pushing his pillow to the side. Hissing softly as his bare feet made contact with the cold floor he resisted the urge to smile as Justine cheered with glee. He slowly made his way to the closet and shut the door behind him. Emerging a few moments later dressed to play in the snow. He blinked to find Justine gone, and searched the room just-in-case. He found her standing beside the front door finishing up the last button on her coat, the scarf quickly wound its' way around her neck and shoulders. Mahogany orbs gleamed with childish delight as she watched the lawyer pull on his gloves and fill a thermos will hot chocolate for later.

"After you, little one."

"Okay Teru-kun!" Giggling she ran out the door making him rush to lock the wooden portal and hurry after her. She may have been a figment of his imagination, but she was still a young child! She shouldn't be unsupervised just yet. "Justine? Where did you go?" The sidewalk in front of his home was empty, there was no sight of auburn locks, or the sound of bell-like laughter. He was starting to panic when something cold smashed into the back of his head and started sliding down the open collar of his jacket. He turned to see Justine with another snowball in hand and a challenging grin on her face. Oh HELL no, she didn't just hit him with a snowball. The second one crashing into his face and freezing his skin said: yes, yes she did. That's it, five-year-old hallucination or not, the brat was going down. He dashed to the left as the lass threw another ball, darting behind a tree and into a large embankment. Gathering handfuls, he kept one eye on Justine as he prepared his retaliation. He threw the powder orb, making Justine curls and scream as it hit her shoulder. After a few minutes of volleying the snowballs back and forth, Justine merely ran over throwing fistfuls of snow as she laughed, making Mikami yelp slightly and scramble up from his hiding spot behind the tree, jogging backwards to keep a eye on Justine--until he tripped on a particular large snow pack, and fell flat on his ass. He blinked rapidly, staring at the now clear blue sky, as though he was trying to figure out what had happened. He started when he heard a small _funmp_ next to him as Justine collapsed on her back in the snow. He sat up and watched as she began to wave her arms and legs back and forth, giggling madly. She then sat up and rolled to the side to admire her handiwork; she had made a petite angel, and to finish it, she began writing her name down the center. "Justine made a snow angel," she announced to no one in particular. "Isn't it pretty?"

Mikami nodded slowly. He found it to be irony as well; Justine was seeming to be a heaven sent angel. After all, no one else could see her, but she was solid, and he knew it from the small interactions. In the back of his mind, he started to wonder if she really _was_ sent to get him into the spirit of Christmas…he wasn't fully sure though. He moved his jacket sleeve and glove, glancing at his watch. They had been in the snow for roughly a half hour now, and the snow seemed to be soaking their gloves a bit now. He opened his mouth to say something about it with he was greeted with a fistful of snow in the face.

Oh yeah, she went there. Even worse, she went there, AND THEN SHE RAN. Oh yeah, now it was war. Once he had cleared his vision, Mikami got up and ran after Justine, who was now playing hide and seek behind the tree. After about ten minutes, he managed to catch her, and tossed her over his shoulder like she was a bag of potatoes. She kicked and screamed, her cried evanescing into shrieking giggles. By now, they were both cold and wet, and Mikami was determined that they were both going to catch a cold. That's right, in his world, even hallucinations can get colds. He brought her back into his home and set her on the ground, instructing her to take off her coat, boots and gloves, and he would take them to dry. She did, as did he, and he placed them both in the dryer. As he was adjusting the settings, Mikami noticed for the first time in a long time how happy he was. He had someone to care for, and it made him all warm inside. It was a pleasant feeling, and not unwelcome. It made Mikami feel better about himself. He smiled to himself, starting the dryer, and walked back out into the living room. He heard Justine singing to her self in the bathroom, and so he looked around at the handiwork she had done last night and this morning. There were ribbons and poinsettias in varied places, window clings, string lights--he'd have to adjust those later--and among it all…happiness.

"Teru-kun, do you like my decorating?"

He turned slowly to Justine who was smiling with her hands tucked behind her back. He knelt down, kissing her head. "Yes, I do. They're beautiful, and they make me very happy." she smiled warmly. He stood up. "Now stay in the living room. I'll be back." Since Justine had been so kind as to relieve herself, Mikami decided it was his turn. He thought briefly about Justine, wondering how long she would be here, and if he should consider buying something for her for Christmas. But what do you get for a 5-year-old hallucination? He shook his head as he went out into the living room. "Justine…?" He looked around slowly. Nothing. He checked the living room and kitchen thoroughly, panic seizing him slightly. He called for her repeatedly, running around the small apartment.

Nothing.

She was gone.

He sighed heavily, sitting on his bed. He had lost her. She may have only been a hallucination, but he felt like he was responsible for her. He moved to place his face in his hands when he heard the rustle of papers. He looked to his right to find a small letter in surprisingly neat hand writing. He picked it up to read:

_Teru-kun,_

_Congratulations! You passed the test! By caring for me, you have learned what the true Christmas spirit is. You took a small girl who you didn't even know and let her in your house, food, and heart. THAT is what Christmas is all about. You know this now. Thank you for the wonderful time, and keep in the spirit. The next time you see me won't be for another six years or more, and by then, you won't remember me. I'll never forget you, Teru-kun._

_Love, Justine._

Mikami read the letter over a few times, smiling a bit, until he felt a single tear slide down his cheek. He'd let her into his heart all right. But, in the back of his mind, he remembered she had promised him a gift…what was it…?

A few days later, he received a package in the mail from Kira-his very own Death note.


End file.
